RULER OF FATE IS HEART

“Mother, do I need to make an offering in the mountains?” Matilda asked her mother while glancing at the sky. At the moment, the sun is about to set. If her mother insists, she needs to walk in the forest in the middle of the dark alone.

“You’ve been doing this for six years. Are you still scared now?” Matilda’s mother responded with raised eyebrows. She handed the basket full of offerings to Matilda and added. “If the villagers find out that we did not make the offering, they will surely blame us for the disasters or calamities that may come to our town!”

Matilda let out a deep breath, a sign of her resignation. “Mother, calamity is part of human life, so they can’t blame us if it comes to our village!” she reasoned while being forced to reach the basket full of offerings.

From the time she reached the age of thirteen, it became Matilda’s obligation to give offerings to the mountains. For the previous years, she had no complaints. She was also not afraid of walking in the middle of the night, but something was not right this year. She senses something is different this year. That’s why she has been begging her mother for several days that, if possible, she would not be the one to make the offering.

“Don’t complain because this is the last time you need to do that...”

Matilda halted on her way out of the house, immediately turned to her mother with wonder in her eyes.

“Well... You're turning eighteen at midnight, and I wanted to tell you about my surprise tomorrow... but I don’t want you to greet your birthday with a frown...”

Matilda caught her breath with intense anticipation... She is excited about what her mother means. Nonetheless, she already has an idea of what it is. Matilda’s been nagging her mother to allow her to go to the City because she has never been there. Since she was a child, Matilda was not allowed by her mother to leave. The chance that she reached the village could be counted on the fingers.

“I talked to your uncle, and he agreed... He will pick us tomorrow.” The uncle referred to by Matilda’s mother lives in the city itself. “Technically, we are scheduled to leave this mountain after securing the transfer of obligations. But since the mother of your replacement is from the clan, we don’t have to.”

“Mother! Are you for real?” Matilda screamed in delight. In joy, she rushed to her mother and gave her a tight hug."Thank you!" she uttered while suppressing her crying.

“I should be the one thanking you... For the past eighteen years, you were imprisoned by the obligation of our family and I am sorry for that...”

Matilda shook her head and broke free from her mother’s tight embrace. “Mother, don’t be sorry... It’s not your fault. I know you were forced just like others before us,” she said and sighed as she gave her mother a wide smile.

Generation by generation, their clan was assigned to do the offering. The girl born in the New Moon must live at the bottom of the mountain and at the right age, she will perform the offering. The only consolation is that their obligation ends when they reach their eighteenth birthday. At least, that’s what Matilda knew. Since her mother never explained to her the complete details.

Because of the good news given by her mother, Matilda left their home with a big smile on her face.

------

The silence in the forest is deafening. The only thing that can be heard is the rustling of the wind that hits the leaves of trees and plants, the chirping of crickets hiding in the thickets.